Plastic cartridge for containing liquid ink



April 5, 1960 H. w. WlLLIAMS 2,933,338

PLASTIC CARTRIDGE FOR CONTAINING LIQUID INK Original Filed Feb. 1 1954 T' 3.3.5 l 2 u /9 T i i I 1 2 I? INVENTOR ##Rmo M MLLMMS BY W 64 44 TTORN EYS PLASTIC CARTRIDGE FOR CONTAINING IQUID INK Harold W. Williams, Pawling, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Bic Pen Corporation, a corporation of New York Continuation of application Serial No. 407,471, February #5 This application August 7, 1958, Serial No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 120-454) This invention relates to fluid containers of what has come to be known as the squeeze-bottle type, made of polyethylene, vinyl chloride or like flexible thermoplastic material. For most purposes, the polyethylene is preferred.

This is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 407,471, filed February 1, 1954, now abandoned.

The objects of the invention is to provide a method of producing such containers at low cost and a method which lends itself to the production of thin-walled, more or less tubular containers, of any desired cross-section, free of flaws such as are typical of injection molding of articles of this type. The flaws refered to are the flow markings and belmishes exhibited by such articles when they are viewed against a strong light, these markings resulting from the cooling of the plastic in the mold before it reaches the remote end of the cavity. In the case of thinwalled containers of considerable length compared to their transverse dimension, these flaws are particularly pronounced and are a source of weakness and possible rupture.

A particular illustration of the problem is the manufacture of ink cartridges for fountain pens, the problem in this instance being accentuated by the need of providing a thin, diaphragm-like wall at one end of the container adapted to be pierced by an ink feed tube within the feed end of the pen barrel. Filled with ink, such cartridges are sold completely sealed, the arrangement being such that when the cartridge is inserted and the barrel screwed home, the cartridge diaphragm is automatically pierced by the feed tube and the pen ready for use. Normally, the injection molding of such a container would require an end gate or entrance of the mold but, of course, that is not feasible in the case of the ink cartridge due to the location of the diaphragm. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a fiexible walled cartridge which, in an emergency, can be at least partially filled by squeezing the walls together, with the nib submerged in ink, necessitating a cartridge free of flow defects in the material. As will be recognized, the method of this invention is adaptable to the manufacture of various containers where the same or similar problems are encountered but, for convenience, it will be illustrated and de scribed with reference to a fountain pen ink cartridge.

The method and resulting product will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a mold suitable for carrying out the method of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a container produced by the illustrated mold.

It may be noted here that the present invention is concerned with the manufacture of the container or cartridge to the stage where it is ready for filling, the latter operation and the final sealing forming no part of the invention.

According to the present invention, the body portion States Patent 0 Patented Apr. 5, 1960 of the container consists of pre-formed, tubular, plastic stock of the desired cross-section and wall thickness. This stock is not molded but is extruded and hence its composition is homogeneous and free of mold detects, so that, even with thin walls, it is adequately strong for the purpose. The tube stock is extruded in long lengths and then severed into suitable body-portion lengths. For ink cartridges, polyethylene plastic is preferred and of a wall thickness of the order 20-25 thousandths of an inch. For appropriate ink capacity, the severed tubes may be of a length of, say, 2 inches.

A severed tube length is next mounted on a supporting core member designed to fit snugly the interior of the tube and the core member and tube are then clamped under pressure between the halves of a suitable mold having a cavity shaped to form a closure in the form of a nose portion for one end of the tube. The arrangement is such that the end of the tube to be closed by the nose portion is exposed to and forms a closure for the mold cavity so that, when the hot plastic is injected into the cavity, the nose portion is coincidently formed and welded to the protruding end of the tubular body portion. It has been found that the normal heat of the injected material is sufficient to sottenthe tube end and effectively bond the nose and body portions.

The nose portion of the container can thus be relatively short and, as will be recognized, it is entirely feasible to inject the material into the side of the mold (that is, transversely of the container axis) thereby making it possible to incorporate in the nose the thin end wall or diaphragm, when thatis required.

Exemplifying the foregoing, the accompanying drawings show a core member 1 which constitutes the support for the per-formed, extruded tube length 2. The core member and tube are held between identical clamp blocks 3, 4 which are recessed into and secured to the respective mold halves 5, 6.

Also recessed into the mold halves are the cavityforming elements 7, 8, 9, the last-mentioned incorporating the gate 10 through which the material is injected into the cavity.

As will be noted, the core member 1 is shouldered at 11 and formed with a reduced end portion 12 which forms the true core for the nose portion cavity, the side wall of which is defined by the bore 13 in element 9 and the frustroconical end of which is formed by the aperture in element 8. The upstanding projection 14 of element 7 closely approaches the nose of core members 1, 12.

The length of the tube 2 and its relation to the shoulder 11 are such that its end projects into and forms a closure for the nose portion cavity. It will be noted that the inside diameter of the nose cavity is less than that of the tube and that, in effect, the cavity extends slightly within the tube. Also, while the outside diameter of the nose cavity is intermediate the outside and inside diameters of the tube, the entrance to bore 13 is countersunk at 20 sufliciently to expand the cavity to the outside diameter of the tube. Thus, both the end surface of the tube and a short length of its inner surface are exposed to the injected material. By this means, effective bonding or welding is ensured.

The use of polyethylene or like material for the extruded tube, permits the latter to be so tightly clamped and compressed onto its supporting core member as to prevent the injection pressure from forcing the molding material up into or around the tube, that is, beyond the weld area. Effective clamping may be ensured by making the bore in the clamp blocks 3, 4 of slightly smaller diameter than that of the outside of tube 2. For example, if the CD. of the tube is, say .275", the diameter of the bore may be .270".

a or 3 The resulting cartridge is illustrated in Fig. '3', the extruded tribe or body portion 2 having the nose portion 15 welded to it in the molding operation The weld area $jI fi ".3 6 b ou r s ihe h ns-m l e n er tqo r t a b re 1 7 and f HI5 u F1 t i k e i p r m W 13 h n ja e a me b th P ot i i j 'j4 Fe ii nt' The rt d is fil i i oqsh its open end 19 which is then sealed. 1 Thus formed, the

body and nose portions constitute a strongly bonded unit andlli b d Por n be extr d a n e f o mold'defects, has notendency'to'splitwhensqueezed. The t thermopl a'stic material snch'as polyethylene open atone end for filling and closed at the other end by 'a'nose "portion adaptedtoffitinto an ink feed'socfiet \iv thin the pen, said nose portion consistingof a short cylinder formed of saidmaterial of smaller external diameter than the qody-andan axially facing external "shoulderbeing provided on said cartridge tat the junction "of said body and nose portions, said noseportionyhayingfa centrally disposed small bore openingto an annular axially'facing end surface, 'and'an integral thindiaphragrn of said materialextending across the bottom of said borefaxia'lly inwardlyof said end surface; said bore being Ofappfeciably sma erdiamet th the nt iame 'o i i n se portion cylinder'and being s'eparated therefrom bysaid diaph m, an a d o n on' g a fl n external peripheral surface surrounding said bore and tapering 'tosaid axially jfacing endfsurfac'e.

;"2. In fa cartridge for containing liquid ink and adapted to beinser'ted within a fountain pen barrel 'When in use,

4 t an elongated axially stifi tubular cylinder body of flexible thermoplastic material such as polyethylene open at one end for filling and closed at the other end by a nose portion adapted to fit into an ink feed socket withinthe pen, said nose portion consisting of a short cylinder of smaller diameter than the body and formed of said'material with one end disposed within said other end of said body and there heat fused to said body so that an axially facing external shoulder is provided on :said cartridge, said nose portion'having a centrally disposed small bore opening to an annular axially facing end surface, and an integral thin diaphragm of said material extending across the bottom of said borewaxially inwardly of said end surface, said bore being of appreciably smaller diameter than the internal diameter of said nose portion cylinder and being separated therefrom by said diaphragm, and a ne r n a n at sto-c n c xt r r p eral surfacesurroundingsaid "bore and tapering to 'said axially facing end surface. V

3,1nthe'eattridge defined in claim 2,"said elongated tubular cylinder body being an extruded uniformly thin walled tube laterally free of junction regions so as to be'ink tight. f L

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,558,940 Pollock Feb. 14, 1928 O1 F May 8 2,173,627 Jecusco Sept; 19, 1939 2,484,965 Slaughter Oct. 18, 1949 2,620,773 Tefft Dec. 9, 1952 2, 6 29, 362 Muench U I p Feb. 24, 1953 225]},577 Remingtonet'al. Mar. 9, 1954 2,673,374 Strahrn Mar.30, 1954 FOREIGN '"PATENTS 2713;834 Switzerland July '2, 1951 France Mar. 25, 1953 

